Fake A Vacation

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Happy Wednesday, Future Party. Last Thursday, something struck a United-operated Boeing 737 Max cruising 30,000 feet over Utah — cracking the windshield and leaving the pilot with cuts from shattered glass. While early reports suggest it may have been a small weather balloon, the pilot described the object as “space debris”… which makes us imagine a tiny asteroid flung off course by a passing UFO. Just goes to show — whether you’re going 600 mph in a plane or 60 mph in your car, there’s nothing quite as inconvenient as getting a rock stuck in your windshield.

After just three and a half years, Warner Bros. Discovery is officially up for sale, with CEO David Zaslav and his board reviewing interest from several unsolicited parties that could see the entertainment giant auctioned off in pieces or as a single entity.

The Big Picture: Warner Bros. has already weathered two major M&A deals over the past decade — first with AT&T, then Discovery — both of which eroded shareholder value, racked up debt, and triggered sweeping layoffs in a failed quest to chase Netflix. A third sale risks repeating history… unless a buyer emerges with the clarity and capital to restore the studio’s former prestige, à la Skydance’s ambitions with Paramount.

Behind The Offers: There are only so many companies who can afford WBD’s $50 billion valuation and its $34 billion debt load.

Final Bidding: Analysts have long suspected that Zaslav’s endgame was to flip the company for a massive exit — especially as leadership has shuttered multiple divisions, slashed costs to pay down debt, and considered splitting the company in two to unlock more value. Wall Street hasn’t loved the moves, with WBD’s stock circling the drain in recent months. But renewed buyer interest has investors perking up, sending the company’s shares up 12% yesterday.

Now, the countdown to Hollywood’s next mega-deal begins.

Next Owners: If Netflix emerges as the prevailing suitor for WBD, it could use the acquisition as a launchpad for a premium theatrical arm separate from its flagship streamer.

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A new AI-powered app called Endless Summer lets users generate vacation photos… without ever actually going on vacation.

The Big (Fake) Picture: Americans aren’t great at taking time off — 46% of workers don’t use all their PTO, according to a Pew study — yet burnout rates remain among the highest in the world. In other words, we could all use an actual trip. Endless Summer at least wants to show you what you’re missing.

Behind The Photos: Meta Superintelligence Lab product designer Laurent Del Rey coded the app in his free time (free time he could’ve been using for a vacation, tbh).

Last Stop: When announcing the app on X, Del Rey joked that it’s for when “burnout hits and you need to manifest the soft life u deserve.” But it’s easy to imagine influencers repurposing it to curate fantasy trips to boost their feeds and brand deals. Ironically, that very hustle might give them the ability to actually travel.

And if you’ve seen the movie Not Okay, you know that “fake it ‘till you make it” approach can really backfire.

Next Trip: We wait with bated breath to see which company will be the first to offer employees a stipend for Endless Summer photos to offset their shrinking PTO benefits.

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82.5% of you voted Yes in yesterday’s poll: Do you think art is a public good worth government funding?

“Art balances everyday life. It’s needed for the soul and contributes to the health of its citizens.”

“We could hire artists to brighten up public school lunchrooms, hallways, and foyers with government funding. Like the WPA during the Depression, artists could add color and meaning to overpasses and roadways.”

“Growing up in Europe, where most art and cultural institutions are government-funded, that’s a resounding yes. The reliance on private donors in the US has always struck me as a classist money-laundering scheme.”

“We’ve reached this point of societal brainrot largely because the arts haven’t been funded, whether by the government or major donors. Gilded Age robber barons still poured their wealth into symphony halls, art museums, theaters, and playwrights, while today’s billionaires just buy, buy, buy. To invest in the arts is to invest in society.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

📺 Netflix has struck major deals with both Mattel and Hasbro to make toys, games, and other consumer products around KPop Demon Hunters.

🎞️ Sundance is planning a wide-ranging retrospective honoring founder Robert Redford at its upcoming 2026 festival — the last to be held in Park City, Utah.

🤖 Suzanne Somers’ widower has announced plans to build an AI clone of the late actress — one that will be able to chat with fans on her official website.

📦 Amazon is reportedly looking to replace 600,000 US workers with robots by 2033.

💻 OpenAI debuted its own AI-powered web browser — Atlas.

👔 Codi is being hailed as the first company to automate office management — by removing all of its own humans from the equation.

👕 Hermès has anointed Grace Wales Bonner as its new menswear designer.

🖼️ Apple has partnered with Design Miami on an initiative for up-and-coming designers and announced its first winner in Paris.

🍽️ Yelp is rolling out an AI receptionist to take restaurant-reservation requests and respond to inquiries.